MARDI GRAS / SHROVE TUESDAY

Introduction

Medieval Christians developed carnivals to celebrate with exuberance one last time before the rigorous Lenten fast. Although Lenten regulations varied with time and place, no meat, butter, eggs, milk, or cheese were generally allowed during the forty days. Meals might be restricted to one each day, and that one taken after sundown. In addition to fasting, Christians were permitted no weddings, dances, or festivals during Lent; the season was reserved for prayer and penance. So medieval Christians began to observe days of celebration, to hold rowdy parades, masquerades, and dances, and to fling themselves into festivity one last time before Lent. This is where the traditions of Mardi Gras, Carnival, and Shrove Tuesday have come from––each focusing on a different aspect of getting ready for Lent.

Festivity and Feasting

Such pre-Lenten festivities are still widely observed today, preserved in the gondola parades of Venice, the Mardi Gras floats of New Orleans, and the street parties of Rio de Janeiro that begin weeks before the start of Lent. The traditional rich foods that are part of these celebrations give Carnival days many colorful names, such as Butter Week, Fat Days, and Fat Tuesday. Such feasting developed in part to prepare body and spirit for the long fast and in part to use up the foods that could not be stored during Lent. Although popular etymology translates the word carnival as "Carnem, vale" (literally, "farewell, meat"), the word more likely comes from the Latin phrase carnem levare: "the removal of meat."

Doughnuts filled with raisins and apples were one of the first European carnival foods to become popular in America. These delicious cakes, brought by Dutch and German settlers, are still prepared by Pennsylvania Dutch families today. Another European household tradition was to use up all the milk, eggs, and fat by making pancakes, a meal that came to symbolize preparation for the discipline of Lent. More widely known are the pancakes eaten in several countries: English Shrove Tuesday pancakes, French crepes, and Russian blini.

Confession and Farewell

Another name for the pre-Lenten celebration, Shrove Tuesday, is derived from a different custom: that of confessing sins (being "shriven") in order to begin the spiritual battle of Lent renewed by an awareness of God's power and mercy.

Such a time of confession carries with it a spirit of sorrow and contrition over sin. For this reason, the word alleluia is omitted from Lenten liturgies and restored again during the celebrations of Easter. A Mardi Gras celebration provides an excellent opportunity to bid farewell to this joyous word.

Both confession and festival are still excellent ways to prepare for Lent. Perhaps we, too, can find in confession a renewal of joy in God's forgiveness. Maybe we can find in festival a renewal of foolishness and fun with our Christian family. We can also prepare ourselves to take Lent more seriously by giving ourselves permission to feast and play beforehand. We can possibly plunge gaily into Carnival, to emerge prepared for a holy Lent.

Ideas for Your Celebration

There are many options for structuring your celebration. You may choose to make it more of a Mardi Gras, complete with masks, costumes, and the Costume Scavenger Hunt on page 15. Or you might wish to focus on the Shrove Tuesday theme by cooking pancakes and having pancake races, including the Farewell to Alleluia service to end on a more reflective note on page 25.

Want to reach out beyond your church or home for this celebration? Here are several options:

• Advertise the event in the neighborhood. If you include activities that require advance preparation, like the Costume Scavenger Hunt and the Treats Parade, make sure your publicity and invitations mention these as well.

• Invite participants to bring some of the recipes included in this chapter. Or ask them to bring an item of "rich and delicious" carnival-type food, such as donuts, fancy cookies, or pastries for distribution to area shelters or food pantries. For the poor, many of their daily meals are meager and austere. A special treat would be welcomed. Check with your church's social concerns committee or an area shelter or food pantry to see what would be appreciated.

• Mardi Gras is rich in food traditions. Consider staging the Mardi Gras celebration at a local homeless shelter or food kitchen. A "Mardi Gras Pancake Supper" could be prepared for the evening meal.

WORSHIP

Opening Prayer

Sing together a favorite hymn that includes the phrase "Alleluia!"

Examples include the following, but your denomination or church may have its own favorites:

• "Alleluia, Alleluia! Give Thanks to the Risen Lord" (The Hymnal 1982, #178)

• "Alleluia! Sing to Jesus" (The Hymnal 1982, #460, #461; Evangelical Lutheran Worship, #392)

• "Christ Has Arisen" (Lift Every Voice and Sing II, #41)

• "In Thee Is Gladness" (Evangelical Lutheran Worship, #867)

• "Sing Alleluia Forth in Duteous Praise" (The Hymnal 1982, #619)

• "Thankful Hearts and Voices Raise" (With One Voice, #623)

• "Voices Raised to You" (Evangelical Lutheran Worship, #845)

• "When in Our Music God Is Glorified" (The Hymnal 1982, #420)

CRAFTS

Mardi Gras Masks

As participants arrive for the celebration, invite them to make their own mask to wear throughout the event.

Materials

• plain, plastic masks (available at party and craft stores or online)

• glue

• scissors

• feathers, sequins, tissue paper, etc. for decorating masks

• optional: prize(s)

Directions

1. Set up a large table (or several smaller tables) with masks and materials for decorating masks.

2. Consider giving a prize for the most festive mask.

Alleluia Poster

Invite everyone to make and decorate a community or family Alleluia Poster. If you choose to use fabric or felt instead, a banner could be made following the same directions. When completed, put it on display until you choose to use it in the Farewell to Alleluia Service (p. 25).

Materials

• 28" x 40" poster board

• scissors

• assorted papers: tissue, construction, colored foil, etc.

• glue

• felt pens

• assorted decorations: dried flowers, sequins, glitter, ribbons, yarn, pompoms, feathers, etc.

Directions

1. Ask eight participants to write (or cut out letters for) the word alleluia, each participant writing one letter. The word should be centered on the poster.

2. Letters can be cut from paper and glued to the poster board, outlined in felt pen and filled with a glued collage material such as sequins, or drawn with felt pens alone.

3. Ask other participants to create a decorative border, 4"–6" wide, around the edge of the poster...